A devastating fire broke out at the headquarters of Christ Embassy, located in the Oregun area of Lagos, Nigeria, in the early hours of yesterday, destroying a great portion of the property.
Christ Embassy (also known as LoveWorld Incorporated or Believers’ Loveworld) is a megachurch and Christian denomination founded in 1987 by Chris Oyakhilome who hails from Edo State, Nigeria.
The inferno, which started in the early hours of the morning, razed a significant portion of the church building.
Unconfirmed reports blamed the incident on a power surge from the electrical appliances. Church workers and other members of the church who were preparing for the Sunday service were said to have scampered for safety. It was learnt that the fire started around 7 am and was put off around 3:10 pm preventing worshippers from holding service at the church auditorium. They were rather taken to Asese, the Crusade Ground along Lagos/Ibadan expressway, Ogun State to hold service.
The Lagos Fire Service responded promptly to the incident, with firefighters working tirelessly to contain the blaze and prevent its spread to nearby buildings.
Speaking about the incident, the Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service has said the cause of the fire was yet to be determined.
The Director of Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, Margaret Adeseye, in a statement, said an investigation is ongoing to ascertain the true origin of the fire.
According to Adeseye, the fire outbreak was reported to the Fire and Rescue Service at 07:27hrs, and firefighting units from Alausa and Ikeja fire stations were promptly dispatched and arrived at the scene by 07:36hrs.
In her words “The church auditorium was found to be engulfed in flames. The fire is currently under control. In addition, an excavator is being used to pull down some parts of the building to ensure complete extinguishment and to prevent further structural collapse.”
“The cause of the fire has not yet been determined, and investigations are underway to ascertain its origin. No casualties have been reported at this time. Updates will be provided as more information becomes available,” the statement said.
The fire service director also called for calm and assured Lagosians (residents and citizens of Lagos) that the fire was under control. She added that no life was lost in the inferno.
Sharing a video from the location, Augustine tweeting as Chief_Augustin1 on X.com wrote, “Christ Embassy Church on Billings Way, Oregun, is on fire.
“Serious fire is raging, and men of the Lagos State Fire Service are working hard to put it off. Thank God service hasn’t commenced fully.”
Fortunately, no injuries or fatalities were reported, as the fire occurred before the start of church services. However, the cause of the fire remained unknown and is currently under investigation.
Meanwhile, in reaction to the incident during his sermon yesterday, at the church’s campground in Asese, Ogun State, the President and Founder of Love World Incorporated, better known as Christ Embassy, Pastor Chris Oyakhilome, said it was not an accident but an avenue for bigger and better things.
According to him, “Nothing happens in the life of a child of God by accident. During the 2001 Ikeja Cantonment bombing incident, the building vibrated so much and we thought it was going to collapse.”
“I thought to myself that if it collapses, I was going to build a bigger, better one. At the end of the day, it didn’t collapse and we called the engineers to see if there was any need to bring it down and rebuild but it was still okay.
“Now that this has happened, we will build a bigger, better, and more glorious one and the devil will lick his wound,” he said.
One of the members of the church identified as Chinonso, said, it was because the church held its one-week programme that was to end with a thanksgiving service at the Asese Camp ground hence the inferno did not lead to any casualty.
He said “I thank God that nobody was in the church when the incident started. We were informed about the incident at another branch of the church at Toyin Street, Ikeja during the service. We saw the building of our headquarters on fire on social media. We cried but yet give thanks to God that nobody died or was injured.”
Another member, identified as Jude, revealed that the church has trained fire personnel and water hydrant systems on standby to address cases of fire outbreaks.
Source: Vanguard Nigeria, Wikipedia ,
